Generating Simulation-Based Contacts Matrices for Disease Transmission Modelling at Special Settings.

Since a significant amount of disease transmission occurs through human-to-human or social contacts, understanding who interacts with whom in time and space is essential for disease transmission modelling, prediction, and assessment of prevention strategies in different environments and special settings. Thus, measuring contact mixing patterns, often in form of contacts matrices has been a key component of heterogeneous disease transmission modelling research. Several data collection techniques estimate or calculate contacts matrices at different geographical scales and population mixes based on surveys and sensors. This paper presents a methodology for generating contacts matrices by using high fidelity simulations which mimic actual workflow and movements of individuals in time and space. Results of this study show that such simulations can be a feasible, flexible, and reasonable alternative method for estimating social contacts and generating contacts mixing matrices for various settings under different conditions.